A Simple Government: Twelve Things We Really Need from Washington (and a Trillion That We Don’t!)

In his ninth book, Huckabee, former Republican governor of Arkansas, declares that "the foundation of American power has always been and must continue to be...the American family," and proceeds in a style that oscillates between glib and pithy to make the challenges facing our nation both less complex and seemingly more difficult to address. Though the choir will be on board from page one, Huckabee offers black-and-white solutions for complicated, gray-hued problems. Family is the force that gives him meaning and it’s the Band-aid with which he suggests we fix our social ills, from poverty to abortion: "It is clear to me that these two epidemics—out-of-wedlock births and on-demand abortions—are sapping America’s moral strength," he says. When it comes to gay parenthood, Huckabee acknowledges that homosexuals "love their children as deeply as heterosexuals do," but posits that "love alone cannot...provide what children need" and leans on conventional gender constructs to teach children ("most of whom are heterosexual") how men and women relate. Nothing surprising from the conservative camp. (Feb.)